Safe Charlotte
Safety and Accountability For Everyone
The City of Charlotte has solidified and implemented public safety policy improvements developed through conversations with residents and community leaders. We understand that a safer Charlotte goes beyond changes to policing and public safety. It means tackling systemic issues to ensure a community of equity and opportunity. Taking a holistic approach, we have rolled up our sleeves to address such intertwined factors as unemployment, housing, transportation and workforce development.
Among the improvements now in progress, we are: empowering more non-uniformed civilians and providing additional community resources for success.
Change does not happen overnight. But in the course of a year, we have seen meaningful and sustainable improvements in action, with more to come in the year ahead.
Aligning programs to support safety: The City of Charlotte collaborated with Johns Hopkins and GovEx from September 2019 through March 2020; implemented Corridors of Opportunity from January 2020 through September 2020; created a framework to address violence from March 2020 through September 2020; and developed strategies to reimagine policing from Jun 2020 through September 2020. SAFE Charlotte builds on all of this work from its launch in September 2020.
All-in Approach to Community Safety
On Oct. 26, 2020, The City Council unanimously voted to approve the six recommendations identified in the SAFE Charlotte report. Over the past few years, the city has adopted several strategies to improve police/community relations, reduce violent crime and create opportunities for social mobility.
Law enforcement reforms and violence interruption programs are only part of the solution to creating a safer Charlotte. The City of Charlotte’s all-in approach also focuses on helping residents thrive because of improved opportunities for affordable housing, jobs, and safe, reliable transportation.
The SAFE Charlotte Report covers details related to each recommendation and data on other community safety initiatives.
SAFE Charlotte Recommendations
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Provide $1 million from the city’s current budget to help Charlotte based non-profits address violence in the community.
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Work with an external partner to develop a comprehensive recommendation to convert low-risk sworn duties to non-uniform units.
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Work with an external partner to provide an independent analysis to include areas such as police-civilian contact and police calls and responses.
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Expand Community Policing Crisis Response Team (CPCRT) and develop a non-sworn officer responder model for mental health and homeless calls.
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Engage a university or independent organization to evaluate selected youth programs on an annual basis.
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Enhance recruitment efforts and develop a program to provide additional residency incentives to officers living in priority areas, including a down payment incentive.
Community Violence Data Dashboard
The dashboard is intended to introduce several indicators of community violence including homicides and violent crimes. In the future, this dashboard will include other key indicators of crime including: youth violence, intimate partner violence, emergency department visitations and other measures.
Corridors of Opportunity
Corridors are vital to the health of Charlotte’s communities, serving as links that connect people to the resources and businesses they need to live and thrive. With a $38.5 million investment, the City of Charlotte is renewing its commitment to six key corridors.
Violence Interruption (Cure Violence Model)
Violence interruption is an evidence-based program that utilizes a public-health approach to address violent crime. In partnership with Cure Violence Global, and a local host organization, the city and Mecklenburg County will launch Alternatives to Violence in the Beatties Ford area.
Hospital Based Violence Intervention
The city will partner with Atrium Health to launch an evidence-based hospital-based violence intervention program that will work with victims of violence who require medical assistance from Atrium.
$1 million in SAFE Charlotte Grant
As a part of the SAFE Charlotte report recommendations, the city will partner with United Way to deploy $1m to Charlotte-based grassroots organizations to address violence.